NEW YORK — New York City police said Saturday they had arrested 34 people after a pro-Palestine protests in it Museo de Brooklynin which damage to some works of art and harassment of security personnel by protesters were reported.
Hundreds of protesters marched to the museum Friday afternoon, setting up tents in the lobby and unfurling a flag reading “Free Palestine” from the roof of the building before police arrived to make arrests.
New York City police officers knocked down some protesters in clashes that broke out in the crowd outside the museum, as several protesters threw plastic bottles at police officers and shouted insults at them.
Other protesters held signs, waved Palestinian flags and shouted slogans on the steps of the imposing Museum of Fine Arts, which is the second largest in the city.
City police said the 34 people arrested were being processed and charges were being determined.
Taylor Maatman, a spokeswoman for the museum, said in a statement that the site had to close an hour early due to concerns for the safety of people and the art collections.
”Unfortunately, damage was observed to existing and newly installed artwork in our plaza, and our public safety personnel experienced physical and verbal harassment,” Maatman said.
The demonstration began Friday afternoon across the street from the Barclays Center, home of the NBA team, the Brooklyn Nets. The protesters, who beat drums and chanted, managed to reach the museum, which is about a mile (1.6 kilometers) away.
Organizers, including the group Within Our Lifetime, called on protesters to “flood” and “vacate” the museum, saying they wanted to take over the building until officials “revealed and divested” of any investments tied to the museum. Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip.
Several videos posted on social media show museum guards trying to close the doors against the crowd, and protesters finding other access routes.
Within Our Lifetime posted on social media that its president, Nerdeen Kiswani, was “violently singled out and arrested” by police.
Hundreds of street protests have occurred in New York City since the beginning of the conflict between Israel and Hamas in October, after Hamas terrorists murdered and kidnapped citizens in Israeli territory.
The Brooklyn Museum sits on the edge of Crown Heights, which is home to one of the largest communities of Orthodox Jews in the city.
Source: With information from AP
